Improvement in attaching the shafts of vehicles- to axles



s. E. STURTEVANT.

Thin-Coupling.

N0. 10,21 L PatentedNov 8, 1853 Nil-FEES, PHOTOJJTHQGRAFHER. WASHING ON, l7v C.

-ing merely a how I), which fits over the axle,

Unrrnn STATES SAFFORD E. STURTEVANT,

IMPROVEMENT lN ATTACHlNG THE OF HARTFORD, VERMONT.

SHAFTS 0F VEHICLES T0 AXLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 10.,2il4l, dated November 8, 1853.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAFFORD E. STURTE- VANT, of Hartford, in the county of lVindsor and State of Vermont, have invented a new and Improved Mode of Attaching the Shafts of Vehicles to Axles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a plan or top view of a portion of an axle with two shafts attached in my improved way. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the axle and shows the manner in which the clasps encompass and are secured to the axle. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of a portion of one of the shafts, the sockets, and the eye or collar which is fitted in the socket.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures.

The nature of my invention consists in securing the shafts of vehicles to axles by means of an eye or collar having taper or conical ends which fit in adjustable sockets. The eye or collar may be attached to the shaft and the sockets to the clasps which encompass the axle; or the eye or collar may be attached to the clasps and the sockets to the shafts. The ends of the eye or collar are secured firmly in the sockets by means of a bolt, which passes longitudinally through the eye or collar, and also passes through the sockets. By means of a nut on the bolt the sockets maybe brought nearer together and made to fit tightly against the ends of the eye or collar in case of the wearing of the same.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully understand and make or construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents an axle or part of an axle of a vehicle, and B is a clasp which encompasses the axle and is secured to it by nuts a a. The clasp is constructed in the ordinary way, be-

the lower ends of the bow passing through a plate 0 underneath the axle, the nuts a being screwed on the lower ends Z) of the bow and against the plate 0. (See Fig. 2.) To one end of the plate 0 there is permanently attached an eye or collar 0 of cylindrical shape and having taper or conical ends (1 (Z. (See Fig. 3.) The eye or collar 0 is attached to the plate 0,

so as to form right angles with it. 1 and D is a portion of a shaft, having at one end two shanks c c, attached or secured by bolts f f to its sides. The outer ends of these shanks have sockets or cavities g g, (see Fig. 3,) which receive the taper or conical ends (Z d of the eye or collar 0. A screw-bolt h passes through the eye or collar and also through the center of the sockets, and by means of a nut ion the end of the bolt the sockets are made to fit tightly on the ends of the collar. By this arrangement it will be seen that shafts may be firmly secured to the axle, there will be no unnecessary play or working of the collar in the sockets, and the sockets in case of wear may be again drawn tightly against the ends of the collar by turning the nut '11 on the end of the bolt 7L.

The end of the shaft, it will be seen, is cut taper or is beveled on its sides a short distance, in order to allow the shanks e e to give or be drawn nearer together when the sockets require to be adjusted tightly to the ends of the eye or collar.

It is intended that the bolt it shall not re ceive or bear any of the draft or strain. That is sustained entirely by the ends of the collar which fit in the sockets. The bolt is merely for the purpose of keeping the sockets tightly against the ends of the collar.

The shafts are detached from the axle by removing the bolts ff or unscrewing their nuts, in order to allow the shanks e e, and consequently the sockets, to be spread apart sufficiently to allow the eye or collar to be removed from between them.

The arrangement above described may be reversed-that is, the eye or collar may be attached or secured to the end of the shaft and the sockets may be formed in the clasps. This latter arrangement is shown in Fig. 1. B B are two clasps, constructed the same as the clasp B, before described, with the exception of arms j, which project from them, and in which arms the sockets or cavities are placed. 0 is the eye or collar attached to the end of the shaft D. The eye or collar 0 is fitted in the sockets precisely the same as the collar 0, the rod h passing through the collar and sockets. The sockets are adjusted to the ends of the collar C by moving the clasps B B (See Figs.

on the axle. This is done by unscrewing the nuts a at the lower ends of the bows and drawing the clasps nearer together till the sockets fit sufficiently tight on the ends of the collar. The nuts are then screwed up tightly against the plate 0, and the clnsps consequently secured firmly on the axle.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Securing the shafts of vehicles to axles by means of an eye or collar (J, having taper or conical ends d (Z, which fit in adjustable sockets g g, the ends d d of the collar 0 being kept firmly in the sockets by means of the screwbolt h, the collar and sockets being attached to the shaft and axle in either of the modes herein described. Y

SAFFORD E. S'lURTEVAN'l. Witnesses:

S. H. \VALLs, O. D. MUNN. 

